Just a nerd with an infatuation for all things theme park-related with a special interest towards Halloween Horror Nights! Check out our podcast Theme Park Corner wherever you stream your Podcasts.
Exciting news Universal Orlando has announced the 25thanniversary of their Mardi Gras event. The event kicks off February 1stand runs for 16 select nights through April. This is such a fun event, now sadly we’ve only attended it one time but it was great. Universal goes all out for Mardi Gras; from Cajun food, New Orleans bands, a night time parade and of course beads. Unlike Halloween Horror Nights this isn’t a separated ticketed event. As long as you have a day time park admission, an Annual Pass or a Season Pass you can partake in all that is offered. It should be noted though that Blackout Dates apply to Seasonal Passholders so be sure to check which days those are before going.
Concerts
During select nights guests can catch some pretty big names in the music industry on the stage at Music Plaza. You don’t need a ticket to see the performances but if you would like to be closer to the stage make sure to get to their early. Music Plaza gets pretty pack especially for the bigger named artists. Below is a list of the concerts all being at 8:30pm.
Sat. Feb 1st – The Roots
Sat. Feb 8th – Karol G
Sat. Feb 15th – Bell Biv DeVoe
Sun. Feb 16th – +Live+
Sat. Feb 22nd – Kool & the Gang
Sat. Feb 29th – TLC
Sat. March 7th – REO Speedwagon
Sun. March 8th – Dustin Lynch
Fri. March 13th – Luis Fonsi
Sat. March 14th – The All American Rejects
Sun. March 15th – Diana Ross
Fri. march 20th – Chris Young
Sat. March 21st – Earth, Wind & Fire
Sun. March 22nd – Marshmello
Sat. March 28th – Why Don’t We
Sun. March 29th – Gavin DeGraw
Food & Dining Experiences
Besides the concerts Universal transforms the New York courtyard across from Jimmy Fallon into a small French Quarter Courtyard with food tents, drink tents and music. Opening everyday at 4pm guests can sample a variety of Cajun and Creole food. All food options are a la cart but you can purchase a Tasting Lanyard to try sample sizes of jambalaya, beignets and more. If you’re an Annual Passholder you can get access to the French Quarter Courtyard an hour before the general public. You also receive a discount at the Mardi Gras food tents on event nights; 15% off for Premier passes and 10% off for Preferred passes. There is also an exclusive passholder Tasting Lanyard that allows you to sample 15 items for $60 plus tax. Tasting Lanyards can be purchased in person at the French Quarter, Monster’s Café or Bone Chillers. Be sure to also check out the Carnival Around the Universe tent where guests will discover a new menu every two weeks. The menus are inspired by different Carnival celebrations from around the world.
If you’re looking for more of a Dining Experience guests can but tickets to the Bayou Boil on select nights of the event. Taking place in Battery Park guests can enjoy their seafood boil while watching the parade. If you can’t or prefer not to eat seafood you can request chicken and Andouille sausage jambalaya. Again Annual Passholders (Preimer, Prefered or Power) can receive 20% off tickets with a limit of 6 tickets per valid Annual Pass. The dates for the Bayou Boil are: Feb. 1, 8, 15, 16, 22, 29 & March 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 28, 29.
If you have more of a sweet tooth then you might want to do the Mardi Gras Feast & Floats Exclusive Dessert Party. This ticket allows guest an exclusive viewing area of the Mardi Gras parade and the Universal Cinematic Celebration that takes place on the lagoon. An hour before the parade guests with ticket arrive at Café La Bamba for specialty desserts, sparking wine, sparkling cider and non-alcoholic beverages. Then you will be taken to an exclusive viewing area in Central Park for the night time lagoons show. All Passholders can receive a 20% discount on these tickets, again limited 6 per valid Annual or Seasonal Pass. Dates are March 9-12, 16-19, 23-27, 30, 31 & April 1 & 2.
Parade
If you have ever watched any of the parades that Universal puts on the Mardi Gras parade follows that same route. The one time that we went we watched the parade from a little alleyway across from the Transformers ride. It wasn’t a bad spot to watch from, we could see all the floats and caught a lot of beads, but there are plenty of good spots to see it from though. There are spots all along the parade route and there is event an exclusive spot for Passholders as well as one for people with kids. The Passholder viewing area is in front of Mel’s Drive in but space is limited and is based on a first come first serve. If you have kids you can stand in the Little Jester’s Parade Viewing area. Located in front of the Brown Derby Hat shop. Access is available one hour before the start of the parade. Below you will find the dates and times for the parade as well as a picture with the route it takes.
Dates and times for the parade are as followed:
Feb 20 – 5:45pm
Feb 2 – 7 – 6pm
Feb 9-14, 17-19, 21, 23-28 – Mar 1-6 – 6:15pm
Mar 9-12, 16-19 – 23-27 – 30-April 1 – 7:30pm
Feb 1, 8, 15, 16, 22, 29, Mar 7, 8, 13-15, 20-22, 28-29 – 7:45pm
Another perk to being a Passholder is that you can sign up for a chance to ride one of the floats in the parade and toss beads at the crowd, just because you sign doesn’t guarantee you a spot. At the time of this posting the Universal website just says coming soon for more info about riding on the floats. But I do believe that you can sign up in person while in the park. Also don’t forget to pick up your exclusive UOAP magnet while at the park. Magnets can be picked up at the UOAP Lounge in Universal Studios Florida from 11am-4pm or at Toon Extra in Islands of Adventure during normal operating hours.
UOAP Magnet
This is a fun event with lots to take in be sure not to miss it! Happy to say that Theme Park Corner will be down in FL for the first night of the Mardi Gras event so be sure to comeback for our thoughts on the event. Let the good times roll!!
Pictures from the last time we went to the Mardi Gras event
Picture of my mini backpack, incase you forgot or didn’t see my first post about it
Alright it is time to review my mini Stranger Things backpack that I bought to take to HHN. This little bag was great (with one exception that I will get to), it was light no matter what I had in it, granted we don’t usually take a lot to the parks when we go anyway. I liked that it was more structured so I was able to take it off and have it unzipped for the security checkpoints that didn’t have x-ray machines. Now I think I have mentioned this before, but I am terrible with measurements so even though it fit in the small lockers at Universal it was a bit of a tight squeeze. I forgot that the small lockers are slender and more rectangular shaped so I would have to squish it a little to get it to fit in there. In the bigger lockers that you pay $2 for it could easily stand up but in the free ones it would have to lay down and couldn’t have anything to ridged in it. Squishing it was fine except for the days that I brought my camera and we had our souvenir cups for HHN. The bag with my camera in it would fit I would just be very gentle putting it in the locker and then we would just lay the cups down in front of the bag.
There was one time that I did end up paying $2 when we ATTEMPTED to ride Hagrid’s Magical Adventure, which was a DISASTER! Real quick let me fill you in on what happened. Let it be noted that you can not use Express Passes on this ride (at the time being, maybe in the future). We decided that we would just do Single Rider so that we could at least experience the ride. I put the bag in the locker and we go up to the Team Member and asked her about Single Rider line. She tells us that she can’t tell us if Single Rider is opened or not that we would have to wait in the normal line until we got to were the Single Rider entrance was and hope for the best. Now she didn’t really say “hope for the best” but she might as well had. We enter the cue (we know how long this cue is from the many times we rode Dragon Challenge when we lived there) and we barely walk up the line and we hit the line that is a 2 hour wait. We looked at each other and said screw it and turn back around cause we would have to stand in line for probably 2 hours before we got to the Single Rider entrance. And then there was a chance that the Single Rider line wouldn’t be opened and we would just be stuck in the normal line. This ride has been open since June 13th, I find it mind boggling that they can’t tell you if the Single Rider line is open or not. I know that they can’t tell you how long you will wait in the Single Rider line no big deal, but you should at least know if it is opened or not. Anyways I pretty much wasted $2 on a locker that I used for maybe 3 minutes but it is what it is.
The one-day or night I should say that we had the problem was our last night at HHN, we had brought our souvenir cups and I brought the camera to try and get some more pictures. I must say though I am very disappointed in the amount of pictures I got this year because I somehow forgot how to do anything with my camera. I struggled with changing the settings so it was a bust and I should have just left it in the hotel room. Anywho, the camera fit great in the bigger pouch but I didn’t like to put the cups in with it just incase there was some left over liquid from our drinks that could spill onto the camera. Which meant the cups had to be shoved into the tiny side pockets of the bag. Now they did fit but they were a smidge too big for those and with the camera in the bag it made it a hard to get them to fit into those pockets. As we were leaving the Marathon of Mayhem show I went to put my camera back into my bag and I noticed it was unzipped. So I stop and started to go through the bag to make sure nothing had fallen out and I noticed that the zipper had broken. I almost cried, I was so upset I love that little backpack. Thankfully that pocket has two zippers and the other one still works to open and close it, but it was still upsetting. I think I had just put too much in it, mostly putting the cups into the side pockets truth be told. The next time we go we will either take it and pay to use a locker all day or take a bigger bag (to make sure it won’t break) and still get the larger all day use lockers. But since we wouldn’t have the cups I think that the free lockers would work since I can squeeze it in there but I really would like to keep this bag around for good while and don’t want to ruin it.
I did notice though that those mini backpacks are the “hot item” to take to amusement parks now, we saw them EVERYWHERE! I say if you find one you really like and aren’t going to be putting too much in them and don’t mind squishing them onto the free lockers or paying for an all day locker then buy it and use it. They aren’t too heavy or bulky and you can fit a good amount (of smaller items) in them. Should also be noted though that the $2 lockers are good for 6 hours; or at least that is what it said when I used it the one time. If you were going to be in the vicinity of that locker with rides or even eating then I would say just use the $2 locker. But it in the long run it might just save you money to pay for an all day locker because $2 can add up if you are using those lockers a lot. If you are going to buying things through out the day then the all day locker makes more sense so you don’t have to keep lugging your souvenirs from locker to locker.
Another year, another awesome HHN in the books! I feel like our time there truly flew by but our 4 nights there were so much fun. This year I finally went through all 10 houses and I even went in front for 3 of them. Granted they weren’t the scariest houses but it’s a start! Our total house count for the event was 34: (in the order of how they appear on the map)
A) Ghostbusters – 4
B) Yeti: Terror of The Yukon – 3
C) US – 2
D) Stranger Things – 4
E) House of 1000 Corpses – 4
F) Depths of Fear – 3
G) Nightingales: Blood Pit – 3
H) Universal Monsters – 4
I) Graveyard Games – 4
J) Killer Klowns From Outer Space – 3
It should be noted that we did a normal Express Pass (get into every house, show and rides that are open once) and then we did an Unlimited Express Pass (get into every house, show and rides that are open as many times during operation). The Unlimited was only like an extra $30 and I think the night we got it we did 17 walkthroughs of the houses. I would suggests it if you have the extra money. We will touch more on each of the houses later on, along with scarezones and the shows. For now lets talk about the overall event.
Imagines from the Tribute Store & the Universal Store
Even though this year was great and no matter what I always have a good time, I must say that I liked last year’s event more. To me I think it had to do with the fact that the whole event didn’t seem to mesh or flow. Both this year and last they had the 80’s theme, but it seemed more cohesive last year. To me the only thing that fit into the theme was the merchandise. No matter though I still had a blast and was very sad when our time there came to an end. I loved that there were two shows this year, it really helped to break everything up and was a nice way to kill time waiting for the crowds to die down.
Let us move on to the houses! I am going to go through them in the order that they appear on the map and will give my overall ranking after. First up was Ghostbusters; this house was one of the ones I went in the front. I loved this house it stayed true to the original movie, which I really liked. Defiantly not one of the scary ones but it did have a few good scares towards the end of the house. One of the biggest highlights of the house was one of the Venkman’s would give out high fives after they had defeated the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
Next up Yeti: Terror of the Yukon; now this was one of the houses I was most looking forward to because I was such a fan of the Swamp Yeti last year. It wasn’t a bad house, it had some good scares but it was just okay. The frozen/winter effect that they had throughout the house was amazing though. It was also FREEZING in the house and every so often you would turn a corner and be blasted with a cold gust of wind. The third house on the map was Jordan Peele’s US. I was on the fence about this house when it was announced and I went in with an opened mind but it was just EH. It was like you had stepped into the movie but the house only had two decent scares. As you can see from the run through counts it wasn’t high on our list.
Stranger Things, this house was good but the I liked last years house more. To no surprise the wait time for this house was usually 110+ minutes. The standby line had 3 different carts, one being a food truck for people to get food and drinks from. We defiantly got some dirty looks from the standby people as we went through the express pass line. I always felt like that scene in Wayne’s World when they are going backstage and showing thier passes. But hey I don’t want to waste 2 hours just for one house, there is a lot to do at the event and even though we were there for 4 nights I still didn’t want to spend a good chunk of my night waiting in that line. This was another one of the houses that I went in front for. I must say I don’t think we ever really got a good run through for this house though, it always seemed like our timing was off or there was a cast change happening somewhere in the house.
Fifth house on the map; House of 1000 Corpses, oh boy was this house a doozy. Our first run through of the house there wasn’t a conga line and I went through with my eyes closed. This in my opinion was the scarcest house; it was a very loud house and I also felt like it was one of the tighter houses. I didn’t feel like I had much space between me and the scareactors, which really added to the scariness of the house. Also Dr. Satan and his enforcer were terrifying!
Moving on to the back of the park to Depths of Fear, now when we started seeing walkthroughs videos the “creatures” in the house looked ridiculous. The heads looked too big and seemed cumbersome. Well I’m here to tell you, they looked just as ridiculous in person. I’m not sure if it’s because we only had one good run through but this house didn’t do it for me. You could always see the “creatures” coming so they weren’t super scary, really only the infected people were scary and the 2 hand puppets that looked like sea snakes. Our last run though was really good but I think the previous runs had soured the house for me.
Next up the second scariest house at the event in my opinion, Nightingales: Blood Pit. The façade for this house was amazing (actually all the façades this year were really great). I will say that the Nightingales did look a bit like evil turkeys but they were still pretty scary. They looked different than the first time they had been at the event for HHN21, but I fund out that is because these one’s had evolved to be more human like the ones from HHN21. The gladiator theme was really cool and it was like you were walking in the tunnels beneath the coliseum.
We’re in the home stretch now I promise! This next house was my FAVORITE house this year, Universal Monsters. It was an amazing house and I loved how it flowed nicely from scene to scene. The scareactors in this house really gave it their all I felt, the would lean out really far and put their hands in your face. There was a Frankenstein’s Monster that would follow you through the lab and while you were watching him the Bride of Frankenstein would come out and scream right in your face. The best was in one of the rooms they had filled it with fog and you knew that there was a Wolfman in there. But during one of the run throughs Dracula decided to show up as well, so you got a double scare. I also loved that in the Hunchback’s section there were times where he would be swing from a rope. I could go on and on about this house, but I will move on.
The ninth house on the map was Graveyard Games, now our first run through of this house wasn’t great but the ones that followed made up for it. I defiantly rank this one up there as one of the scarier houses of the event. It has two things that I hate in a “haunted house”. Children, the sounds of giggling are the worst and rooms with dummies next to real people so you can’t tell which one is going to move. And this house combined both of those things in one scene. Also in one of the scenes during one of our last times through the house we got stopped and a scareactor came out crawling towards us. I HATE THINGS THAT CRAWL IN SCARY MOVIES OR HOUSE!! Thankfully we only experienced that scare once lol. I must say though had I not seen videos from media events I wouldn’t have gotten the story that went along with the house.
Okay we’ve made it to the last house, Killer Klowns From Outer Space. This is the final house that I was in the front for. I really liked this house, it smelled nice and it felt like I had stepped foot onto the Klowns spaceship. Not a scary house unless you don’t like clowns but it isn’t really supposed to be scary. It’s a cheesy 80’s B horror movie. I loved that there were guest activated triggers and a giant Klownzilla! It was good to see Shorty and the gang again.
House of 1000 Corpses facade
Nightingales: Blood Pit facade
Depths of Fear facade
Universal Monsters facade
Graveyard Games facade
Facades of the houses
Here is my house rankings:
Here are my house rankings:
Universal Monsters
Ghostbusters
Graveyard Games
House of 1000 Corpses
Killer Klowns From Outer Space
Nightingales: Blood Pit
Yeti: Terror of The Yukon
Stranger Things
Depths of Fear
US
Now lets briefly touch on the scarezones but I’m not going to get too detailed though. I was very underwhelmed by the zones this year, with the exception of Vanity Ball and Anarch-cade. It never felt like there was anything happening in Zombieland Double Tape, Vikings Undead was super dark so you couldn’t actually see what was going on. Rob Zombie’s Hellbilly Deluxe was always SUPER crowded and was mostly photo-ops and dudes looking at the girls dancing on the stages. Vanity Ball was like a giant party, I loved that there was a runway in the street. There was always something going on in this zone. Last year we loved hanging out in the scarezones but this year we hardly spent much time in them.
Anarch-cade Scarezone
Anarch-cade Scarezone
Anarch-cade Scarezone
Zombieland Double Tap Scarezone
Zombieland Double Tap Scarezone
Rob Zombie’s Hellbilly Deluxe Scarezone
Rob Zombie’s Hellbilly Deluxe Scarezone
Rob Zombie’s Hellbilly Deluxe Scarezone
Rob Zombie’s Hellbilly Deluxe Scarezone
Viking’s Undead Scarezone
Vanity Ball Scarezone
This year they decided to go back to two shows; I loved how different they were from each other. Lets start with Academy of Villains. This years show was AMAZING, we saw it twice and I could honestly see it 10 more times. The theme of the show, the music, just everything was on point. The show was called Altered States and was like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and was set in Victorian England. The solo sections of the show were awesome and they even did a section with shadows on screens. This group never disappoints and I truly can’t wait to see what they bring to the table next year.
AOV: Altered States Show
The second show Marathon of Mayhem took place in the lagoon area and was a laser light water show. I really enjoyed it, it took music and images from Ghostbusters, Stranger Things, Universal Monsters and Killer Klowns. I will say the best viewing for this show is center and higher up. We stood off to the side the first time we saw it and we defiantly didn’t get the whole experience that first time. I hope they bring it back but I must say I don’t think it would be something I would watch every night.
Marathon of Mayhem Lagoon Show
This year when it came to food tents I feel like there were hardly any. There were two tents that made up the StarCourt Mall. There was also a tent for the Twisted Taters in the back next to were they sell the Pizza Fires. We tried the pot stickers which weren’t bad, but nothing to write home about. I also tried the mini pumpkin donuts with green icing on a bed of Oreos and they were really good. They were surprisingly light and the pumpkin wasn’t too overpowering. This was the first year that we tried the pizza fries and the twisted taters. Love the pizza fires and sad we hadn’t tried them sooner! Now for the Twisted Tater, I wasn’t the biggest fan but I don’t think I got a good tater. It felt and tasted like it had been sitting under the heat lamp for a bit and I chose to get garlic parmesan as my seasoning and that wasn’t the best choice on my part. I think I will give them one more shot next year and go for a different flavor and also ask them to go light on the seasoning, they defiantly put a lot on the one I got. Also while we were eating our Pizza Fries we saw a camera crew and it was Tess from Delish who does the Iconic Eats for their YouTube Channel. I completely fan girled cause I love those videos and I can’t wait to watch the HHN episode.
Mini Pumpkin Donuts with green icing on a bed of oreos
(Left) Twisted Tater (Right) Pizza Fires
The drinks at this years event were actually really good, they weren’t too overly sweat. There were four different themed cocktails Vampire’s Cures, Saturn, Blood Pit and Twilight. We really enjoyed Blood Pit it was very fruity and didn’t taste like there as alcohol in it (dangerous!). The only one that gave me a slight stomachache was Saturn but it was still good. I was very happy that they went back to the normal round cups instead of the split square cups and twisty straws. You could also pick your cup this year which was a nice touch as well. They had Universal Monsters, Ghostbusters, Killer Klowns, Maximum Screamage and an arcade game. Naturally we got the Ghostbusters and Universal Monsters!
This years souvenir cups
Overall this years event was really good, like I said even though I preferred last years better I still had a fantastic time. I loved that they made the Tribute Store bigger this year and that they had three different themed rooms. I really liked the merchandise, we picked up an Academy of Villains long sleeve shirt, a Frankenstein’s Monster & Jaws Blankets, an Ghostbusters Hoodie (that can be turned into a bag), a Bride of Frankenstein Pin and a little Gizmo! I truly cannot wait to see what they bring to the table for HHN30. I wish we could go back one more time, I can’t believe that there are only 4 days left of the event. It really flew by this year I feel. If you made it this far thanks for sticking with me! I will be doing a review on the mini backpack that I took for the first time this year so be on the lookout for that.
If you can’t make it down to Florida for HHN this year but would still like to visit some haunted houses closer to home, we got you covered! Six Flags over Georgia Fright Fest: Fright By Night began this past Saturday night and runs through November 2. If you buy a day ticket to the park you can stay for Fright Fest but it does not include the haunted houses. The houses are a separate ticket that you can purchase online or at the gate. Keep in mind if you purchase your tickets online ahead of time you can usually get a bit of a discount, compared to the gate prices.
Ticket Options
Guests have a few different options when it comes to tickets; daily admission + haunted house passes, Express VIP Haunted House Pass, All Season Haunted House Pass & Haunted House Pass. Right now they are running a special and you can get a 40% discount on Fright Fest tickets. Beware that prices will vary depending on which day you choose to go. Going off this Saturday September 21sta 2019
2019 Haunted House VIP Express Pass good for the night you visit (does not include park admission) $50.00 + tax. Haunted House Season Pass good for the run of the event (does not include park admission) – $50.00 + tax
2019 Haunted House VIP Express Season Pass good for the run of the event (does not include park admission) – $65.00 + taxHaunted House Season Pass good for the run of the event (does not include park admission) – $50.00 + tax
2019 Haunted House Pass good for the night you visit (does not include park admission) $30.00 + taxHaunted House Season Pass good for the run of the event (does not include park admission) – $50.00 + tax
2019 Haunted House VIP Express Season Pass good for the run of the event (does not include park admission) – $65.00 + taxHaunted House Season Pass good for the run of the event (does not include park admission) – $50.00 + tax
The times for each night are as followed:
Saturdays and Sundays the event runs from 12pm – 11pm
Friday nights from 6pm – 12am
Monday Oct 14thfrom 10:30am-7pm
Thursday Oct 31st from 5pm-11pm
We’ve been to Six Flags while Fright Fest was happening but we didn’t go through any of the houses. We took in the different scarezones, food/drinks and one of the shows but that was it. I used the same techniques that I use at HHN, talking to the scareactors so they can’t scare me and it worked fairly well. This year we are going to see if we can squeeze in a trip and do the houses. I give Six Flags a lot a credit the scarezones, costumes and make-up are done really well. We actually had a friend who did make-up for the event, which was really cool. Fright Fest has a lot to offer; there will be 5 haunted houses, 6 scarezones and 4 different shows. And of course there are rides till open as well. Alright lets dive into the different haunted houses.
Haunted Houses
Fright Fest is offering 5 different haunted houses this year and they see to have a good range from the twisted, world wide infection to aliens! Let us dive right into these bad boys!
Alien Abduction – What appears to be a seemingly an ordinary warehouse on the outside Fuller Labs is anything but once inside. Guests will encounter aliens carrying out experiments on humans that they’ve abducted. Be on the look out for human-alien hybrids lurking in the laboratory. Make sure to keep quiet or you may just be the next experiment. This house is open from 6pm to park close.
Madeline Mendoza’s Casa de Muerte – Madeline Mendoza or the Blood Stained Bride as legend calls her. On the Day of the Dead Madeline married Professor Vincent Crowley and they left Mexico City to live in hos Victorian Mansion in Georgia. Her husband forbad her from going to the lower level of the house. During one of his work trips she went into his laboratory and discovered a dark secret. Professor Crowley was a necromancer and the leader of an ancient cult. This information drove poor Madeline mad, upon her husbands’ return she tore him to shreds and then killed herself to put and end to the cult. It is said that every year on the Day of the Dead you can hear her screams. This house is open from 6pm to park close.
Camp Slasher – The year was 1988 at Rain Burn Camp, were Camp Counselor Keegan Pallmer killed all the campers. Put away for his deeds Pallmer later escaped prison during a fire evacuation and is now said to be living on the campgrounds of Rain Burn Camp, or as it’s called today Camp Slasher. Do you dare join Mr. Pallmer? This house is open from 7pm to park close.
Piggy’s Bloodshed – Guests enter the freezer of a butcher shop, but this butcher shop is like no other. As you make your way past hooks with arms, legs and other body parts you can hear the sounds of the new victims meeting their end. You finally come face to face with the butcher and you won’t believe your eyes. This house has no posted hours.
ZX-1: Aftermath – An infectious outbreak has happened and is causing mutations to form in human genes. Thankfully there is an antibiotic but it will be no easy task to retrieve it. As you make your way through mobs of the infected and military personal to get to Axis Arena. A campground for those seeking refuge from the infected, but not all is well as the infected take the camp. Can you survive long enough to get to the cure? This house is open from 7pm to park close.
Alien Abduction
Madeline Mendoza’s Casa de Muerte
Camp Slasher
Piggy’s Bloodshed
ZX-1: Aftermath
Scarezones
Promenade Theatre – Guests will walk a blood stained red carpet, while being ushered around by the undead through dreadful displays of the horrors that await you. Based on myths, witchcraft, murder and torture but as they say the show must go on.
Mariner’s Cove – Beware the pirates that have crashed in the French Bay of the Dead. They are searching for treasure and won’t let anything stand in their way, including you!
The Bunker – Below the surface in an underground military bunker you’ll find experiments beyond your wildest dreams. Keep a lookout not only for the mad scientist behind these experiments but the poor tortured patients.
Seeds of Samhain – Everyone loves a good pumpkin farm in the fall but this farm is like no other. Beware the watchful eyes of the scarecrows; you just might not be alone in this field.
Dismantled – 30 years ago a devastating event rocked earth, The Fall. Hurricanes, tornadoes and fires ravaged the land and at 1:04pm all electronics ceased to work. No man is fighting amongst itself and the Wanderers. A group that declared themselves in charge and they want everything you have, including your life.
Junkyard Dogs – Guests will encounter a wild pack of dogs, watch your back as you make your way through the fog.
Promenade Theatre
Mariner’s Cove
The Bunker
Seeds of Samhain
Dismantled
Junkyard Dogs
Shows
Fright Fest will also be offering 5 different shows; Demonatrix Unleashed, Bad Bob The Bone Butcher, The Uprising: Nightly Call of the Dead and lastly Dr. Fright’s Dead Man’s Party. Dr. Fright’s show is the only one that we know the location of. The Crystal Palace and the hours are as followed.
Friday, Monday and Halloween Night – 7:30pm, 8:30pm and 9:30 pm
Saturday Nights – 3:30pm, 4:30pm, 5:30pm, 7:30pm, 8:30pm and 9:30pm
Sunday Nights – 2:30pm, 3:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm, 7:30p and 8:30pm
Demonatrix Unleashed
Bad Bob The Bone Butcher
The Uprising: Nightly Call of the Dead
Dr. Fright’s Dead Man’s Party
The website doesn’t provide much more information for the rest of the shows but that may change as the event just opened yesterday. They may add times later on this week and if they do we will update the post to reflect these times.
As mentioned above the rides are also open during the event so if you need to take a break or want a different kind of thrill be sure to check them out. I don’t remember the waits being too long when we were there, but that was a few years ago now. I will say I don’t think it felt as packed as HHN does, which is nice. There isn’t anything on the site about any special food or drinks being sold at the event, but I did see on Twitter so of the new items they will have this year, such as Spooky Blood Bag Cocktails and cheddar caramel popcorn. You can see pictures of these items here!
Be sure and keep a look out for more haunts around Georgia coming your way, we are just getting in the swing of Spooky Season and events are popping up everywhere.
Now I know this one isn’t really a haunt but it is a nice fall/spooky season place to visit. There is something for the whole family, from a corn maze to a pumpkin patch to escape games to touring ACTUAL Stranger Things locations!! I had heard about the escape games you could do in the woods and even one that was inside Hopper’s Cabin from the second and third seasons of Stranger Things. But I had never looked too far into it, until now. I was looking for some fun fall things to do, mainly pumpkin patches and corn mazes when I came across Sleep Hollow Farms. Not only does it offer those two things they have a plethora of other family activities as well. Check out the list below!
Tractor Rides around the farm
Kids Games at their farm playground
Corn Maze
Pumpkin Patch
Country Story
Farm Animals
Escape Woods (escape games; reservation required)
Stranger Things & Nighttime Corn Maze
Field Trips
As you can see there really is something for everyone in the family and the pricing isn’t terrible. For $12 per person you get access to the Corn Maze, Wagon Rides, Farm Animals + Kids Zone, and Pumpkin Patch. Kids 2 and under are free with the purchase of an adult ticket. Will note that this does not include the purchase of a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch. Pumpkins are sold separately and the price depends on the size of the pumpkin. They also offer face painting for $4 per face and it is cash only, they also offer food and beverages and on the weekends they have food trucks and boiled peanuts.
Don’t worry you have some time to plan your trip because these activities do not start until September 21st and run through November 3rd. Below are the hours of operations:
Closed on Mondays
Tuesday – Thursday 2pm – 6pm
Friday 12pm – 6pm
Saturday & Sunday 10am – 6pm
(Must arrive by 5pm)
Field Trips available weekdays by appointment
For the Stranger Things Tour & Nighttime Corn Maze the pricing is $20 person. These tickets MUST be bought online in advance. Due to the limited amount of parking there is a cap on the amount of tickets sold. The dates available are Saturday October 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th, & 28th and the time slots are from 7pm – 11pm. They ask that you arrive 15 minutes early and it should be mentioned that at 8pm there could be some scares around the farm. So if you or someone in your part would like to miss out on the scares be sure to book the 7pm time slot. The tour takes about an hour, during the hour long tour guests will experience Hopper’s cabin, the farms Corn Maze and Merrill’s Pumpkins Patch. I personally hope to be able to make it out for this tour and I also would love to do the Hopper’s Cabin Escape game (which I will cover more below).
Now that we’ve talked about what is offered, hours of operation and pricing for these activities let us dive into the Escape Woods games that are offered.
ESCAPE WOODS GAMES
Guess can choose from 8 different escape games and they range from beginner to advanced. Two or them do not open until later this month but I will marks those and there are a few that have age restrictions and I will also mark those. Let’s dive into these amazing games.
Hopper’s Cabin
Genre: Stranger Things themed, not scary, indoor, low physical activity, linear game play with bonus quests
Difficulty: Intermediate
Age Recommendation: 10yrs and up
Description: You & your team will explore Hopper’s cabin to decipher clues, unlock doors and solve the mystery before your time runs out.
Age Recommendation: 18yrs and older (contains adult language) Teens may take part in the game if they have parental consent.
Description: You & your team will have to escape from the twisted fun house owner’s cabin in the woods, to avoid a massacre.
The Clown: Big Top Terror
Opening 9/28/19, at this time there is no information on the genre, difficulty or age recommendations.
Description: You & your team will have to escape the lair of a deranged clown who is hiding deep in the woods. You will have to solve clues, unlock codes and escape before you become the next victim.
The Bunker: Aftermath
Genre: Post apocalyptic themed, indoor/outdoor, medium physical activity, non-linear game play.
Difficulty: Intermediate – Advanced
Age Recommendation: 10yrs and up
Description: A terrible virus has been released on the world and it is spreading rapidly. You & your team must break into the bunk where the virus created in hopes of finding an antidote. BUT if you do find it you’re then tasked with a difficult choice. Do you hand it over and save humanity or destroy it and watch the world crumble. The choice is yours.
The Bunker: Aftermath (Escape the Monsters of the Apocalypse)
Opening 9/29/19 – this one is the same as The Bunker: Aftermath above but with a twist.
Genre: Post-apocalyptic themed, actors scaring you, indoor/outdoor, medium physical activity, non-linear game play
Difficulty: Intermediate – Advanced
Age Recommendation: PG-13
Description: Same as The Bunker: Aftermath above, just with scareactors added.
The Maze: Dragon Quest
Genre: Action adventure, fantasy, not scary, mild physical activity, outdoors.
Difficulty: Beginner – Intermediate
Age Recommendation: 10yrs and up
Description: You & your team need to break the evil cures that was put on the woods where the queen once ruled. To save the woods and the queen you must find the ancient magical dragon eggs.
Nature Ninja
Genre: Outdoors obstacle course for kids with nature education.
Difficulty: Beginner
Age Recommendation: 5 – 10yrs
Description: Blending fun physical activity with nature based STEM eduction. You & your kids will complete a series of obstacles while learning about Georgia plants & animals.
The Gauntlet: The Hunt for D.B. Copper’s Treasure
Genre: Treasure hunt, not scary, medium activity, outdoors, need between 14-50 people.
Description: Designed to accommodate large groups (perfect for team building or company outings). Part treasure hunt, part escape game & part obstacle challenge. This game is based on the legendary D.B. Copper 1971 skyjacking.
As you can see there is so much to see and do here, and not all of it happens during the spooky season. They offer things during other seasons as well and you can even book photography sessions on the property. If spooky season isn’t your thing and you’re more into the Christmas (shutters) cheer then make sure to check out their Christmas Tree farm when the time comes.
Address and Phone Number
Sleepy Hollow Farm 628 Sleepy Hollow Rd Powder Springs, GA 30127 (770) 880-8846 Website
Be sure to keep a look out cause we’ll have more Haunts Around Georgia coming your way! Next Six Flags Over Georgia: Fright Fest.
With Spooky Season upon us I thought I would delve into different haunts to visit around Georgia. The first one I’m going to talk about is NETHERWORLD, which has been around for 23 years and has been rated one of the top haunts in the nation. Now sadly we haven’t visited yet but we are going to go this year and I am beyond nervous. These houses are longer than those I am used to at Halloween Horror Nights, but I’m gonna put on my big girl pants and do the damn thing! NETHERWORLD offers two different haunted houses and every year the two houses change. This year guests will experience Night of the Gorgon and Cold Blooded. Not only can guests visit the houses, they can also take part in laser tag and four different escape rooms.
NETHERWORLD is located in Stone Mountain, Georgia and will open for the spooky season on September 27th and run until November 9th on select nights.
Dates & Times of operation for NETHERWORLD
Depending on which night you visit the prices will vary, but below you can see the pricing options for each night:
Pricing for Sept. & Oct.
Pricing for Nov.
Pricing by color
The first price is just for a General Admission ticket for the Night of Gorgon house and the second price is for a Combo General Admission house, so you can visit both Night of Gorgon and Cold Blooded. Let’s breakdown the tickets prices a little more, guests have three different options to choose from when it comes to tickets. General Admission, Timed Tickets, or Speed Passes. The General Admission tickets are the most inexpensive tickets but will have the longest wait times. Timed tickets are considered medium-priced tickets and they allow guests to enter the front of the building on a specific date and within a specific half-hour window. These are generally a shorter wait time than the General Admission tickets. The final option guests can buy is the Speed Pass. The Speed Pass gets you into both houses. Guests will go to a special Speed Pass entrance and will usually get immediate access to the house. Personally I would choose the Speed Pass because I get very anxious and begin to have a panic attack if I have to wait in line too long. To me the prices for the Speed Pass don’t seem too expensive to me, depending on the night you’re looking at $50-$60 plus tax. Now that might seem like a lot to some but I am used to HHN prices and to get front-of-the-line access you would be paying double that or more.
Lets talk some more about the two houses this year; again they are Night of the Gorgon and Cold Blooded. In Night of the Gorgon, the Gorgon has been trapped in Eliza Whyshman’s mirror and is now being used by an apocalyptic cult. They are raising an of army of stone warriors to defeat all who are against them. It’s a concept that seems very interesting and these houses are longer than HHN mazes so if you think of what HHN can do I can only imagine what these will be like. The next house Cold Blooded, which is located in a secret research facility called The Box, where terrifying experiments are talking place. Reptilian aliens are having their DNA combined with prehistoric life forms, these creatures are sure to be unstoppable!
Night of the Gorgon
Cold Blooded
Just like HHN the monsters can’t touch you but they may accidently brush up against you accidently because they do get close to you. But they can’t just come up and touch you. The age recommendation is for adults and teens but parents may bring small children but they can’t be younger than five years old. They don’t offer discounted tickets for small children and beware that if your child (or even an adult) decides that they can’t make it through the houses they do not offer refunds. If you feel like you can’t make it all the way through the house there are emergency exists throughout the houses. It should be noted that Cold Blooded is going to be a gorier house than Night of the Gorgon. The attractions are wheelchair accessible and in the darker sections staff will help you navigate. Like HHN costumes are not permitted in the attractions. They do not serve alcoholic beverages on site and they are not permitted on site.
After going through the houses make sure to check out the gift shop and, as mentioned earlier, if you’re looking for more fun they do offer Laser Tag and Escape Games!
Be sure to keep a look out for our review after our visit!
You’ve probably seen those videos people do on YouTube where they show what is in their bag, well I thought I would do that but with a Universal/HHN twist. With our HHN trip nearing I thought maybe I would put together a little post on what is in my Universal/HHN backpack! Now I know that this might not seem important to most but I have seen some people asking what they should or should bring with them to the event and even just the park itself. After living in Florida for 2 years and being an Annual Passholder I feel like I am pretty well versed as to what one should bring with them. Not everyone will have the same list but I’ll show you what Dan and I usually bring. I’ll also talk about the different locker options there are at the parks (there will be a table at the bottom with all that info. There will also be a list of items you CAN NOT bring into the parks and a list of items that you CAN bring in at the bottom as well).
This year I finally broke down and bought a new backpack because the one I had been using was falling apart. Here is what I used to take with us when we would go to the parks.
Old Backpack, I loved this one but sadly the straps started to break. This picture also perfectly represents how we would squish it into the lockers.
I loved this bag it was drawstring but also had a clasp, it was very slouchy so it would fit into the free lockers pretty well. We don’t take a lot into the parks so I would be able to squish it into the locker and then we could put our refillable cup or drinks in front. Now Universal has made some changes to their lockers sine we lived there, if you can use a small locker(14 x 5.5 x 16.9) GREAT it’s free while you ride and everyone is happy. But if you have a bigger bag or oversized items then you will have to get a large locker(12 x 13 x 16.9). These lockers will run $2 during the posted wait time and an additional $3 per 30 minutes with a $20 max per day BOOOOO!!! This makes you angry and Universal happy because they are getting more of your money. So I like to make sure that I have something that will fit in the free lockers.
With the measurements for the lockers in mind I was able to compare them to the backpacks I was interested in. Again we don’t usually take a lot into the parks because we don’t want to have to worry about paying for lockers and lugging a heavy bag around the park all day SUCKS. So in my searches I came across a cute mini backpack from Loungefly, now I love Loungefly but they are a bit pricey. I actually found this bag on ThinkGeek as they were closing down their website and I also was able to find a coupon and get 20% off the bag so I figured I couldn’t pass it up. I believe it was originally $60 and I was able to get it for $42 after tax and shipping which compared to most of the bags on Loungefly it was a pretty good deal. Drum roll please…..(drum roll sound)
Isn’t it adorable!!!
Loungefly Stranger Things Mini Backpack
I love it and it is the perfect size for the free lockers and for what we take into the par (Dimensions of bag W:9″ x H:10″ x D:4.5″). After ordering it I was a little scared that it would be too small, I mean it is a mini-backpack for crying out loud and I was so used to my old bag size that I started to become a bit uneasy. As soon as I opened the box I was so happy and my worries went away.
Okay let’s get to the point of why you’re here to see what is inside my HHN bag! Well here is goes.
Earplugs – I like to have these for when we’re going through the houses. I love HHN but I am a big chicken when it comes to the houses and they’re usually pretty loud so I always tell people to bring earplugs.
Lanyards – Now we mostly wears these (or at least I do) because they will have our Express passes in them but sometimes we like to wrap them up nicely and put them in the bag. Big thank you to Christoper Ripley and HHNUnoffical for the awesome Trick ‘r Treat themed lanyard! (We won’t use all these just can’t decided on which ones we want to use this year and to be honest Dan probably still buy one when we’re there).
Wallet
Ziploc Baggies – Now since this bag is stiffer and like a leather material I don’t have to worry about rain or water as much as I did with the old bag but they’re still nice to have. (I like to have a couple small ones and a couple large ones) The large ones are also great for after you finish your drink in your refillable HHN glass (so you can get the discounts on your next beer or cocktail) to put your cup in and then put in your bag cause I gotta have my hands free while going through the houses.
Band-Aids – These are pretty self explanatory but I am a very clumsy person also you WILL be doing a lot walking so they are nice to have, especially if you’re not near the guest services area.
Chapstick
Sunscreen – I’m a pale, freckled redhead so I have to have sunscreen.
Refillable Cup / Water Bottle – (Not Pictured, sadly ours broke last year) This all depends on if you bring a water bottle for free water or if you splurge for the refillable cup (which if you’re going to be there a few days these are great, also you can keep bringing them back each year and just pay the activation fee).
Portable Charge / Charging Cord – Self explanatory, this one does great for our phones but I defiantly plan on getting a bigger one that is also solar paneled as well. And obviously whatever charging cords you may need for your devices
Snacks – (Not Pictured) We don’t usually take snacks in with us but sometimes we will. It’s usually like trail mix, granola bars stuff like that, it’s good to have if you aren’t ready for a full on meal but would like a little well, a snack.
Gum / Mints
Headache Medicine – I like to have a travel size one on me at all times and I’ll bring a bigger bottle that I leave at the hotel to refill it as needed.
Camera – For all the sweet HHN pictures and videos I’m going to take!
Hand Sanitizer – (Not Pictured) Nice to have if you’re not near a bathroom and would like to clean your hands.
Sunglasses
Pancho – HAHAHA JUST KIDDING!!! We don’t mess with ponchos, if it rains whatever it’s Florida it will stop soon. Last year we waited out a storm at NBC Sports Bar & Grill and then it only sprinkled on us a little while waiting in line for Stranger Things. Bring ’em if you like ’em or get those small compacted umbrellas, we just prefer to find a restaurant or shop to hangout in until it passes.
Depending on your needs or your group sizes obviously you’re list will be different but these are just some of the things we like to have with us. Remember that there are security checkpoints with scanners so be patient and don’t bring in anything that will be flagged. Last year I forgot that we had brought rolled coins with us and it was flagged the first night we went. After that I would take them out and put them in the bin beside my bag just to speed up the process. I always like to have all the zipper pockets opened and ready for when I get up to the scanner.
As promised at the begining of this post here is a table that breaks down the different locker types, prices and where you can find them.
LOCKER TYPES
LOCKER DIMENSIONS
PRICING
LOCATIONS
EXTRA NOTES
All Day Rental: Large Size
12″x13″x 16.9″
Starts at $10 per day
Entrance of Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure
I believe that the lockers at Islands of Adventure are located outside the front gates so you would have to exit the park each time you needed to visit your locker.
All Day Rental: Family Size
12″x16.25″x16.9″
Starts at $15 per day
Entrance of Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure
Single-Time Use @ Attractions: Standard Size
14″x 5.5″x16.9″
Free while you ride
Located next to: The Revenge of the Mummy, MIB, Gringotts, Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rocket, The Hulk and Forbidden Journey
Good for small loose items or small bags.
I believe that wands will fit in these lockers, if they’re in their box you would just have to lay it down.
Single-Time Use @ Attractions: Large Size
12″x13″x16.9″
$2 during posted wait time, an additional $3 per 30mins with a $20 max per day
Located next to: The Revenge of the Mummy, MIB, Gringotts, Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rocket, The Hulk and Forbidden Journey
For oversized items
If you are going on a water ride such as Jurassic Park River Adventure, Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge Rat Barges or Dudley Do-Rights Ripsaw Falls you can take your bags on those rides (not sure about Dudley-Do Rights, I have never ridden that one). Jurassic Park River Ride they won’t get too wet, it does have to go on the floor at your feet though so just keep that in mind. For Popeye’s though you do get soaked, they have a center area were you can place you bags and there is a plastic covering that comes over them. Be warned if water got into it on the last ride or if water hits it just right it can still get through the cover and your items will be soaked. These rides do offer Single-Time Use lockers starting at $4 during posted wait time then an additional $3 per 30mins with a max of $20 per day. You could also bring a plastic bag with you if you don’t want to worry about the lockers and just make sure it’s tied tight.
And lastly even though it’s not a park we visit I will give you the locker info for Volcano Bay. From the Universal Orlando Resort Website: Lockers can be found in the Rainforest Village, River Village and Wave Village. They have 3 different sizes; Mini, Regular, and Family Size and they are $9, $13 & $16 respectively.
Here is a list of things that you CAN NOTbring into the parks:
Weapons or anything that can be used as a weapon
Alcohol – If you are walking around City Walk with a drink you must finish it before you enter the parks
Marijuana
Illegal items or substances
Clothing with offensive language or content
Clothing that represents someone as emergency personnel
Clothing or accessories that may create a false impression that the visitor works for Universal
Any other items Universal personnel deem to be inappropriate, disruptive or harmful
Glass containers
Hard-sided coolers
Soft-sided coolers larger than W: 8.5″ x H: 6″ x D: 6″
Picnic Lunches
Food that needs to be microwaved to refrigerated
Folding Chairs
You are allowed to bring in:
Bottled water with a max of 2 liters
Any food that is required for medical purposes and medically-indicated nutritional supplements
Any food required for special dietary needs
Baby food / baby formula
Soft-sided insulated bags no larger than W: 8.5″ x H: 6″ x D: 6″
With HHN Opening Sceremonies only 10 days away we finally got a look at a good bit of the merchandise. Now Universal didn’t actually put it out there but thanks to others that noticed the merch was up on the Universal Orlando shop website we know what’s in store. I’m going to go on record right now and say I FREAKING LOVE ALL OF IT and I’m pretty sure that Universal is trying to bankrupt me. Last year the event was 80’s themed but I didn’t really think that the merch did a good job of portraying that. This year however the event is again said to be 80’s themed and the merchandise SCREAMS 80’s (and if you don’t believe you can ask Dan he was there). I am going to highlight some of my favorite items but if you would like to see everything you can do so here.
HHN Themed Glasses $10 a piece
First items I want to talk about are these HHN Themed Glasses, on the website they are going for $10 (plus tax) a piece (I would assume they will be the same at the event, fingers crossed). Already that’s $40 I’m spending at the event but it I were to pick just two of them I would have to go with the Classic Monsters & the Killer Klowns From Outer Space. I just love how vibrate they are, the only thing that would worry me would be putting these in a dishwasher. I would make sure I hand washed them so that they color wouldn’t fade too fast. These are truly very high on my list on items to get while we’re there.
HHN29 Pin Set $10 a set
The next items I really like because I have a jean jacket that I have decorated with patches and pins that are horror related and these pins would look amazing on my jacket. You get 4 pins in each set and they are going to also cost you $10 (plus tax) a set. The more I look at these I think I would just get the Killer Klowns From Outer Space set. But that could change when I see them in person, these are more in the middle to bottom of my list though. Like I said I really only like them because they would look great on my jacket.
Above mentioned jean jacket, I’ll put links at the bottom for the shops that I got the patches and pins from.
HHN Event T-Shirt $28
Usually when we go to the events I’m not the biggest fan of the shirts that they have put together but for the event but this year I’m singing a different tune. The first shirt up is the HHN29 event t-shirt, this bad boy will run you $28 (plus tax). It plays with the 80’s theme and also ties into the Anarch-cade scarezone with the Arcade Game Machine with the houses listed on the screen. Now I will mention if you zoom in on the shirt it only has 9 of the 10 houses, for some reason Ghostbusters isn’t represented on this shirt.
HHN29 Sweatshirt $50
The next item up for your consideration is this HHN29 Black Light Reactive Zip-up Sweatshirt, this bad boy will run you $50 (plus tax). Now this one has the big 3 houses Ghostbusters, Stranger Things and Killer Klowns From Outer Space. This is defiantly going to be on my radar, now I most likely won’t make a decision on this one until our last night but it is pretty tubular as the kids used to say. This is up there with the glasses for me but like I said I won’t decide until our last night.
Klownzilla Shirt $32
Alright if you’re a big fan of Killer Klowns From Outer Space and an even bigger fan of Klownzilla then this next shirt is for you, it’s going to cost you $32 (plus tax). I love the acid wash look of this one and of course the giant Klownzilla is just amazing. Defiantly think this one will be a huge hit at the event.
Classic Monsters House Shirt $28
The next two shirts both belong in the Classic Monsters Universe, we have the HHN29 Classic Monsters House shirt and then a “You Should Fear Me Shirt” featuring The Bride of Frankenstein. The Classic Monsters House shirt is $28, I really love this because I have a soft spot for the Classic Monsters. Again I’m not usually a big fan of the house shirts but this one doesn’t fell like the ones I’ve seen from past events. If they don’t have the Horror Ink Custom shirt making shop this year I might just get this one. That is if I don’t spend all my money on the zip-up sweatshirt.
Bride of Frankenstein “You Should Fear Me” Shirt $35
Our last shirt if The Bride of Frankenstein “You Should Fear Me” shirt which will run you $35. This shirt looks super comfy and I love the cut in the back of the neck, I got a Bride of Frankenstein tank top the last time we were at the park so I don’t know if I would spend $35 on this but it is really cute.
Like I said this year for merchandise is of the charts. There is just so much stuff that I love and I had already started a list of things that I wanted to get from the Classic Monsters store so I’m going to have to wait and see how I feel about the items in person. This is a great year for merch!! I can’t wait to see it all in person and see what else they have that didn’t make it up on the website. I also want to say if you’re an Annual Passholder beginning on September 6th (first night of HHN) there will be a special HHN29 Passholder shirt ($27 plus tax) and Passholder pin ($14 plus tax). Passholders can find them at the UOAP Lounge from 11am-4pm daily or the Cyber Image store during normal operating hours, including HHN event hours. You can get a discount on the items if you have the Premier or Preferred passes. This is only while supplies last though, so sadly when we go they most likely won’t have any left since we aren’t going until October. But it’s no biggie cause the rest of the merchandise is awesome looking and I’m already having issues trying to figure out what will be coming home with me.
Lastly I just want to touch on some food and drinks, we know that Pizza Fries will be returning and they will be joined by S’mores Fries this year. Twisted taters are coming back which I am excited to try this year and guests will also be able to experience some dining options from the Starcourt Mall Food Court (which is very interesting to me). We have yet to see or hear the names for the specialty cocktails or what the glasses will look like this year but rest assured the minute we have any info on them we’ll share it with you all. We’re in the home stretch and I can’t wait to start seeing everyone’s videos and pictures from the event to help tide me over until we make our way down there.
We’re 21 days away from Opening Scaremonies and we’ve been bombarded with announcements recently. Let me tell you what it’s been AMAZING!! All the houses have been announced (you can read about them here). We also have all the scarezones and shows, which I’ll cover in this post. I’ll also touch on how Dan and I rank the houses. We are still waiting on food and merchandise to be announced but I fell like that is right around the corner.
Will be located in the Ave of the Stars
Let’s dive right into the scarezones shall we! When guests enter the park they will experience Anarch-cade,this scarezone will be themed after an 80’s arcade. T’m actually very interested to see how this turns out, it will be cool to see all the vintage arcade games.
As guest continue through the park towards the Mummy ride they will step foot into the United States of Zombieland. Zombieland : Double Tap will showcase scenes from the first movie and the sequel which hits theaters on October 18th. Make sure you remember the rules for survival and keep your eyes peeled for twinkies.
Will be located in front of The Revenge of the Mummy
Will be located in San Fransisco (near Fast & the Furious)
If you’re lucky enough to escape Zombieland : Double Tap you will enter into a different Zombie land, Rob Zombie that is. Welcome to Rob Zombie’s Hellbilly Deluxe, this may be a pretty PG-13 or mature scarezone. I feel like it’s going to be if you walked into a Rob Zombie music video. If you’re not familiar with Rob Zombies work I suggest you check out the album the scarezone is named after and his movies. Just so you have an idea as to what you’ll be walking into.
Will be located in Central Park
Once you’ve made your way to the Central Park section of Universal prepare to come face to face with the undead, Vikings Undead that is! I’m a little skeptical about this scarezone, the idea seems awesome but it’s located in one of the smaller sections. It will still be scary and well done but I just don’t know to what scale. This location usually does have the prettiest scarezones so we will just have to wait and see.
Will be located in the streets of Hollywood
As you leave the undead you will head into the last scarezone (or second scarezone depending on how you maneuver through the park). Located in the streets of Hollywood is the Vanity Ball. I’m picturing the Met Gala meets Nip Tuck/Botched. When I saw this on the speculation map it had the name holder Plastic Surgery and I wasn’t thrilled about it. But after reading the description of the Halloween Horror Nightswebsite I feel a little better about it. I think we’ll see scareactors walking around with surgical equipment coming out of their skin and possibly body parts replaced with enhanced or non-body parts (picture people from the Capital in Hunger Games). This scarezone will defiantly be an interesting sight.
Along with the scarezones, the Academy of Villains show was announced, as well as a never before seen show. AOV will be returning to the Fear Factor Live Show Stage with a brand new show titled Altered States. It seems like it is going to be a battle of man against himself. The websitesays “Man’s true nature is dragged out into the dark, gothic streets of anarchy”. You can expect high energy, high intensity, good music, lasers and amazing dancing. Along with AOV we’re getting a never before lagoon show for HHN. The show is called Halloween Marathon of Mayhem; I am SUPER EXCITED FOR THIS!!!! Using water, lights and music scenes from Stranger Things, Ghostbusters, Universal Monsters and Killer Klowns From Outer Spacewill be projected onto the lagoon. As the water dances be prepared to be memorized by these icon movie and show scenes. The show will run only on HHN event nighrs at 10pm, 11pm and 12am. You can find more information about it on the Universal App.
New Lagoon Show
There is a lot to look forward to this year and I can only imagine what HHN30 is going to be! As you know (or may not if you’re new to the blog) we have a podcast called Theme Park Corner: Halloween Corner Nights, you can stream it on SoundCloud and Spotify. In our last episode Dan and I ranked the houses, I’ll leave our lists below. We would love to know how you rank the houses, leave a comment here, on our Instagramor on our Twitter.
Welcome back! This blog post is going to cover the buildup to HHN 29, I will keep adding to it as more and more announcements roll in. As of today we have FIVE house announcements, no scarezones and no show announcements (yet) but Academy of Villains will most likely be back this year, and no food or merchandise announcements, but those typically come in the final weeks leading up to the event.
As of today we are 66 days out from the opening Scareremonies and I couldn’t be more excited! Tickets for the event are on sale and can be purchased online here, I would definitely suggest getting them online since you can save around $53 on single-night tickets and $10 on multi-night tickets compared to gate prices. You can also add any tours, express passes and Scareactor Dinning Experiences when you book online as well. You also have the option of booking not only your HHN tickets but park and hotel together as well.
Enough of the boring stuff let’s get into the fun stuff! HHN 29 will begin on September 6th and run through November 2nd that is a whopping 42 nights! So far there have been 5 houses announced, 3 of them are original concept houses while the other 2 are intellectual properties or IP’s for short.
Stranger Things: Announced 3/27/19
The first announcement we got for the event came back on March 27thand it came was no surprise. This was probably the most popular house at last year’s event, Stranger Things. The wait time last year for this house quickly rose to three hours and it stayed around that long the majority of the night. For this year’s house we know that it is mainly going to focus on season two, but we have been told there will be a scene from season three as well. Now I have a theory as for why they decided to do part of season three this year. Next year will be the 30thyear of the event and for this milestone they don’t want to have the focus be on an IP like Stranger Things. If you would like to see the announcement video for the house you can check it out here!
Nightingale Blood Pit: Announced 4/13/19
Our second announcement came on April 13thfor the first original concept house called Nightingales: Blood Pit. Guests will arrive in Ancient Rome during a draught, and the emperor has declared that the gladiator games will continue until the rains return. With all the bloodshed and death the terrifying nightingales have come to feed on the dead and dying. According to the HHN website this isn’t the first time the nightingales have plagued HHN, but it’ll feature a much different story this time around!
Universal Monsters: Announced 4/29/19
Our third announcement came on April 29thwe got the house I am most looking forward to, Universal Monsters. They did this house last year in Hollywood accompanied with music by Slash. Guests will come face-to-face with Dracula, the Wolfman, Dr. Frankenstein’s Monster, Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Mummy, and possibly even more. Universal is putting in the effort to rejuvenate the hype around it’s classic monsters. Not only have they added some new things to the Monsters Café the past couple years, but they recently redid the store attached to the former Terminator show with a ton of old school memorabilia aimed at its classic monster universe. I usually like to watch the walkthrough videos of the houses before I go, but I am going to see how long I can hold out and not watch this one.
Depths of Fear: Announced 5/21/19
On May 5thwe got our next announcement and it was another original concept house called Depths of Fear. This house mixes one’s fear of water, what lies beneath the surface, and the unknown creatures that lurk there. The website also states that guests will come in contact with creatures called mouthbrooders. If you want to check out more of the description of the house you can do so right here!
Terror of the Yukon: Announced 6/24/19
The most recent announcement actually came on June 24th and it is another original concept, Terror of the Yukon. I am really excited for this house as well! Guests will see the return of the yeti for this house. Now at last year’s event guests experienced the Swamp Yeti, this time you will travel to the Yukon to get a glimpse of these dangerous creatures in a much colder environment. Anytime there is a snow element to a house it is beautifully terrifying, I look forward to experiencing this frozen tundra. This will definitely be a nice house to go through to help escape the Florida heat.
So far the speculation map that is floating around has been pretty accurate. If you would like to check it out for yourself you can find ithere. There have also been some leaks from HHN Hollywood that pretty much confirms that Ghostbusters will be at the event and it will most likely come to Orlando as well. I am not too sure how this house will play out. HHN does houses all the time that aren’t scary but I just don’t see how this house will work.
With the 4th of July this week they will be taking a break from announcements. The good thing is now that Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorcycle Adventure has opened and the Endless Summer Resort is also open there is nothing standing in our way! You best believe that in the weeks to come we will be flooded with announcements. I can’t wait to be back in the fog, having some shark attacks at Finnegan’s and feeling the energy that is Horror Nights.
UPDATES:
Ghostbusters: Announced 7/17/19
Alright everyone we finally got an update! With the event 48 days away it’s about darn time. On July 17th it was finally confirmed that Ghostbusters will be making an appearance at both Hollywood and Orlando. Now this comes as no surprise, as mentioned before there was a few leaks on Hollywoods end that showed casting for this house. I personally don’t know how I feel about this house but to do look forward to seeing the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man in all his glory. According to the website this house will follow the original 1984 movie and only that movie (thank goodness), I love Kristen Wiig and those ladies but that movie was a stinker. Guests will get to experience some of the best sets of the movie and also the best spirits, phantoms and specters. I also feel like the merchandise for this houses will be pretty awesome since this is the 35th anniversary of the movie. If you would like to see the promo video put out for the house you can check it out here! Announcements should be rolling in pretty regularly now with the event right around the corner, keep a look out for more updates to come.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space: Announced 7/25/19
July 25th we got another house update, the house is based on the ridiculous 1988 film Killer Klowns From Outer Space. Now I had never seen this movie until last year, Dan and I watched it because it was a scarezone at HHN28. It is outlandish but funny and a cult classic also this was my favorite scarezone last year. These Klowns have descended on earth and wrap humans into cotton candy cocoons and suck out their brains will silly straws. Along with this announcement we got another hype video, which you can check out here! Now next weekend is Midsummer Scream, which is a halloween convention held in Long Beach California. Last year we got an announcement for the event and also concept art for the Stranger Things house. I don’t believe that Orlando creative is going to be there this year so if there is an announcement it will most likely only relate too HHN Hollywood. With the event 6 weeks out announcements will be flying in, we have 7 of the 10 house. Hopefully we’ll get a scarezone announcement soon and information on the show.
Us: Announced 8/07/19
Okay guys we are a month away from opening scaremonies and we got another announcement today (August 7th)!! Now this really isn’t too big of a surprise but Jordan Peele’s Us will be haunting guests nightmares in both Hollywood and Orlando. Now when I first heard the rumor for this house I wasn’t too excited, and I’m still a little unsure how to feel about it. The movie was really good but I’m a little worried with how it will translate to a house. But I will defiantly go through it and keep an open mind about it. I can say though it will be terrifying and the soundtrack is going to really make this house. HHN released a promo video for the house and you can see it here. Guests will go through the Wilson family beach house, Santa Cruz Pier and the underground tunnels where the Tethered live.
Also I am proud to announce that The Halloween Corner now has a podcast under its belt. You can check out the first to episodes on our SoundCloud Halloween Corner Nights. Not only is there a podcast we also have a Twitter and an Instagram account. Make sure to give us a follow so that you can stay up to date on all things HHN.
We finally have all our houses!!! Sorry I’m a little behind in updating the blog but I’ve been busy helping to get our podcast off the ground and setting up all the social media for it. But here we are our last two houses, we got an original house called Graveyard Games and the not so surprising IP house House of 1000 Corpses. I will breakdown each of the houses below!
Graveyard Games: Announced 8/08/19
On August 8th the original house Graveyard Games was announced, and I am very interested in this house. This house has been in the works since 2017 when the Universal staff went on a trip across the pond to visit the historic Highgate Cemetery. The stories around this graveyard sound like something out of a movie and are said to have inspired the movie Dracula A.D. 1972. Back in the late 60’s and early 70’s it was said that a group had cornered and staked a vampire through the heart in the graveyard. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves, talk about overcrowding. When reading about this house on the site guests will venture into the Ascension Parish Cemetery were you can expect to run in with ghosts as you navigate your way through the cemetery. There is also an interactive aspect to this house, while you are waiting in line you can open your Facebook Messenger app to the Halloween Horror Nights page where you can talk with local teens and storytellers of the town. You can learn more about the legend that plague this town and the cemetery. Nice way to kill sometime when the wait times skyrocket.
House of 1000 Corpses: Announced 8/14/19
The last house to be announced was no surprise since it had been speculated pretty hard since the first house was announced. Guests will get the chance to experience Rob Zombies 2003 House of 1000 Corpses. Now I had not season this movie until a few days ago, to prepare for its announcement. Now if you have never seen this movie let me just say HOLY CRAP it is bizarre, gross, and all around weird. As we were watching it I knew immediately this would be the house that I went through holding on to Dan and looking at the floor. With that being said I also could see how it could shine as a house, there is so much that the creative team can work with. I will also say that this will most likely be the grosses, horror house of the event. Be prepared to bring a change of underpants!
We have also been given all the Scarezones and Academy of Villains show, I will cover that in a new blog post so be on the look out!
The Halloween Corner 